A drilling company has been fined $170,000 after pleading guilty to an incident in which a falling gantry crane injured one man and narrowly missed several others working on the Wonthaggi desalination pipeline project.

WorkSafe Victoria’s campaign against dangerous machines continues with an East Geelong company fined $55,000 today after a worker was dragged hip-deep into a machine causing serious pelvic and ankle injuries.

Fines totalling $260,000 have been imposed on two gold mining companies after a December 2007 underground explosion led to 10 workers being taken to hospital after miners were exposed to high levels of carbon monoxide.